OWNED AND OPERATED PODCAST | EPISODE SUMMARY

Episode: What Home Service Businesses NEED To Stop Missing Calls
Host: John Wilson
Guest: Darina Kulya, Co-founder of Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
Date: November 27, 2025

Episode Overview

In this insightful conversation, John Wilson (host and home service business operator) sits down with Darina Kulya of Quo, a modern business phone solution previously known as OpenPhone. The discussion delves deeply into communication challenges — especially missed calls — that home service businesses face as they scale. The pair cover practical strategies for managing communications, the logic and impact of rebranding, leveraging technology and AI, and growing pains as companies transition from solo operators to sophisticated, multi-person teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Motivation and Process Behind Quo’s Rebrand (00:19–08:06)

• Background of Quo: Quo aims to streamline business communications for small companies, focusing on better follow-ups and customer service, not just generating more leads.

  “We really help you build stronger customer relationships so that you can make more money at the end of the day.” – Darina (01:23)

• Why Rebrand?

  • Moving from "OpenPhone" to "Quo" reflects a desire to future-proof the brand beyond traditional phone solutions, aligning with shifting technology and communication paradigms.
  • The new name is intentionally abstract, meant to challenge the status quo and not limit the brand’s evolution.
  • The Latin root of "quo," meaning "by which," signifies being the system by which businesses communicate.
  • The process involved an agency deliberately kept unaware of the business details to ensure out-of-the-box naming.

• On Cost and Impact:

  • Surprisingly, the three-letter domain quo.com was less expensive than their previous domain.
  • Mixed reactions from long-time customers; Darina emphasizes that meaning is built over time.

    “The brand is what you...it’s the meaning that you give it and the work is just beginning.” – Darina (07:21)

Technology Adoption in Home Services (09:30–18:40)

• Origins Address Home Service Pain Points:

  • Many contractors hesitated to publish phone numbers due to call overflow and lack of support staff — a major barrier to growth. Quo originated as a mobile-first solution to this.
  • “If you are a contractor...you’re there to do the work. If your phone rings, you probably don’t want to pick it up in front of your client.” – Darina (10:15)

• Current State of the Industry:

  • Contrary to stereotypes, home service companies are technologically innovative, often building their own workflows and tool stacks.

    “At least in home services, the businesses we work with are a lot more innovative than what the myth is.” – Darina (17:15)

  • Increasing trend of Big Tech professionals moving into home services and advancing the tech stack.

Communication Infrastructure as Businesses Scale (19:14–24:54)

• Quo as a Backbone Solution:
  • Business telephony has tremendous technical complexity and must be ultra-reliable — unlike ad hoc apps, it can't be rebuilt easily by the average company.
  • Quo started as a mobile app, making it accessible to owner-operators. Growth from “one man in a truck” to full teams was a natural evolution.
  • Major advice: Establish business numbers early to prevent future headaches with customer handoff and business sale.

    “My anecdote is—we’ve bought nine other companies and in every single instance, the owner’s phone number, their personal cell phone number, gets leads. So we have to acquire the personal cell phone number when we acquire the business.” – John (24:07)

The Inflection Point: Delegation and Scaling Customer Service (26:25–31:36)

• Most Owners Wait Too Long:

  • Business owners usually delay hiring their first CSR or admin until customer service is already suffering.
  • When hiring, they too often “abdicate” responsibility (“yeeting” the task) rather than carefully delegating and training, which leads to loss of service quality.

• Need for Insightful Tools:

  • Essential metrics (missed calls, call volume by hour) are often overlooked but critical for effective staffing and customer service. Many owners are in denial about the number of missed calls.

    “Everyone’s like, ‘I don’t miss a call at all. I’ve never missed a call. What are you talking about?’...but we missed a ton. It was shocking.” – John (31:49)

Data-Driven Call Management (31:36–36:57)

• Granular Data Uncovers Big Problems:

  • Call volume isn’t linear; spikes and valleys require precise staffing and sometimes external solutions.
  • Just "picking up the phone" is not simple—solving this at scale is a major investment but can drive huge growth (John attributes a 50% revenue jump to finally fixing this).

• Introducing AI as a Solution:

  • AI can be more efficient than voicemail as a fallback when CSRs miss calls.

    “If nobody is picking up, if your team is slammed, what do you do? Do you let it go to voicemail or do you let it go to an AI agent? And I’m sure you know my answer there.” – Darina (35:37)

AI vs. Human CSRs: Where's the Balance? (38:32–42:09)

• Two Industry Camps:

  • Human-First: Human CSRs as a differentiator, especially in service-driven trades.
  • AI-First: Leveraging AI for efficiency — some large service companies have reduced their CSR headcount by over 90% in under two years by deploying AI.

• What Works for Quo’s Customers?

  • AI is “three times better than voicemail” as a fallback. The ideal approach depends on how complex the calls are—a simple call can be handled by AI, but more nuanced cases still need human touch.
  • The goal is to deliver the best customer experience, regardless of the channel.

Rapid-Fire Q&A: Practical Advice (42:58–45:58)

• Biggest Communication Process Fixed Too Late:

  “It’s the handoff between sales and implementation or delivery. So much information gets lost if you don’t take notes.” – Darina (43:02)

• Common Revenue Scaling Mistake:

  “Not hiring a team around you soon enough, and when you finally do, stepping out too early.” – Darina (43:33)

• Email as a Channel?

  “I love email... but I think email is a bit slow, and I think inboxes are just a mess...marketers have ruined it.” – Darina (44:14)

• Call or Text — Which is Better?

  “Both...I’m more of a text person, but businesses still underrate text...those businesses that use text have to be a little more thoughtful not to be spammy.” – Darina (44:54)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Real Work of a Rebrand:

  “The brand is what you...it’s the meaning that you give it and the work is just beginning.” – Darina (07:21)

• On Technological Evolution in Trades:

  “Where are those guys at? Because that is not how plumbing and H Vac works. You’re competing against like the most funded competitors in the US.” – John (16:23)

• On the Perils of Not Having a Business Number Early:

  “You have to sell your personal cell phone number in a business transaction because it’s getting leads.” – John (24:33)

• On AI vs. Voicemail:

  “Our own AI agent is three times better than voicemail.” – Darina (40:40)

• On Hidden Call Patterns:

  “On Monday, from 8 to 9, we get 300 phone calls. Then for the next two hours, we get 20 total. Then at noon, more… It was shocking how complicated just picking up your phone is.” – John (32:47)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:19 – Introduction: Scaling communication in home services
• 02:11 – Why Quo rebranded and what the new name means
• 09:30 – Pain points that originally shaped Quo (contractor stories)
• 16:23 – Breaking technology stereotypes in home services
• 21:06 – Transition from owner-operator to team-based service
• 24:07 – The hidden peril of using your personal number for business
• 26:25 – Scaling office operations and the CSR inflection point
• 31:36 – The data you need to stop missing calls
• 35:37 – The role of AI in customer service escalation
• 38:32 – Human touch vs. AI in home services
• 42:58 – Quickfire tips and channel insights

Final Thoughts

This episode is packed with valuable, actionable guidance on how home service businesses of all sizes can overcome the most common, yet deepest, communication pitfalls—especially missing calls. From the strategic thinking behind a major company’s rebrand, to how AI and data are reshaping the industry, listeners will walk away with a host of insights applicable from the owner-operator all the way to eight- and nine-figure organizations.

Contact & Further Info:

• Learn more at quo.com
• Connect with Darina on Twitter: @DarinaKulya
• Podcast host: John Wilson (Owned and Operated)

End of Summary—Listen to the full episode for even more detail and context on these home service business growth strategies.